Machine for drying leather, yarns, jute, and like materials



' Cl` STEPHENS. MAcHlNE FoR DRY|NG LEATHER, YARNs,'JuTE, AND LIKEMATERIALS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. I4. 191B.

Patented July 12, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

c. STEPHENS. l MACHINE FOB DBYING LEATHER, YARNS, IUTE, AND LIKEMATERIALS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. I4, 1918.

muted July 12, 1921'.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 awww . QQLW hmmm m,

NIIVDNNMWI UNITED STATES PATENT` OFFICE( CHARLES STEPHENS, OF LONDON,ENGLAND. i

MACHINE ron DEYING LEATHER, YARNS, JUTE, AND LIKE MArERIALS, j

application inea Novemiier 14, 191s. serial No. 262,626.

Y '0 (LIZ '107mm 'it may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES STEPHENS, asubject ol the King of Great Britain and `Ireland, residingat London,England, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Machines forDrying Leather, Yarns, Jute, and like Materials, of which the followingis a speciiication.

This invention relates to an improved continuous drying machine, of thetype in which the material is passed through a horizontal drying chamberby means of a conveyer and subjected during such passage to the actionof a heated current of air, for sammying and drying leather, and fordrying yarns, jute, or any other similar material. y

Drying machines of this type have been proposed in which internaltransverse baf- Iles above and below the conveyer are arranged to dividethe chamber into compartments and to cause the current of air, inducedand exhausted by fans at opposite ends ot' the chamber respectively, totake a sinuous upward and downward .path in stages from end to end ofthe chamber, in adirection opposite to the traverse of the material, andto pass through the material from opposite sides, this current of air during its passage through the chamber being gradually vraised intemperature by a separated series of heating batteries arranged instaggered relationship within or between the compartments above andbelow the conveyer.

My present invention consists in a drying machine of the type described,in which the material is traversed both in forward and return directionsthrough the chamber, and in which a closed circulation of air, givingone continuous cross-current in an upward or downward direction throughboth lines of material from end to end of the chamber, is maintained bymeans of a fan or blower in conjunction with air ducts extending fromend to end along the top and bottom of the chamber respectively, and inconjunction with Hat sets of steam or other coils interposedrespectively between the chamber and said air ducts; a further featureof my invention consists in a baiie plate device fitted between adjacentpairs of tubes forming the coils, whereby the circulating air isdirected either vertically or obliquely through the chamber and wherebya certain pressure is held back in the air inlet duct so as toequalize'the crosscurrent ofair throughout the entire length of thechamber and a still further feature of my invention consists in thecontinuous extraction or condensation of moisture from the closedcirculation of air within the chamber. i

Description of accompanying drawings. i

Figure l is a front elevation ofthe machine with parts of casingremoved.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of machine with end casing and part of'internal bulkhead removed.

Fig. 3 isa plan of machine with parts of cover removed.

Fig. 4c is an enlarged detail elevation of coils and baffles as shown inFig. l.y

Fig.v5 is an enlarged cross-section of one of the tubular clip bars forsupporting the material on the-conveyer chains.

My improved machine consists firstly of a long horizontalldrying chamberA, fitted internally with two flat setsof coils B andC, atshortdistances from the top and' bottom of the chamber respectively,between which coils a closed circulation `of air ismaintained Vby meansof a fan or blower D,'in conjunction with an airepressure inlet duct Eextending from end to end ,along the bottom yof the chamber and anair-suction outlet chiot F likewise extending `from end to end along thetop of the chamber (orvice versa).

Between each adjacent pair of tubes forming the coils B and` G is fitteda baille plate Gr, by which the circulating air is directed upward ordownward either vertically or obliquely through the chamber A, and bywhich a certain pressure is held back in the air inlet duct so as toequalize the cross-current of air throughout the entire length of thechamber. For ordinary drying purposes the coils B and C aresteam-heated, so that the closed circulation of air, on being brought bythe baffle plates into intimate contact with the steam coils, iscontinuously heated and reheated as it circulates. A

Specification of Letters Patent.` Patented July 12, i921 i smallerexhaust fan H fitted at one Vend l vfan orblovver D awayfrom coils B andC, instead of being steamheated, may be used at any ordinary low anynecessary variations in the working temperatureV of the machine.

The materialrunder treatment is drawn longitudinally through themachine, between the two sets of steam coils B and C, and in forward'and return directions, by any ordinary conveying devices, as forinstance by means of a pair of toothed endless chains J carrying-transverse poles, bars or tubes K having suspension, clips L. Thematerial thus passes through the machine continuously and the requisite`condition is obtained. An ordinary lifting device, as for instancewheels Mpand chains N, is provided to con-V vey the material from theforward to the return part of the chains J.

' he machine is preferably `incased with fireproof material arranged inthe form of an'outer casing and an inner lining. The outer casing isprovided with port-holes (not shown), andthus thesuction side of the fanor blower' D receives the necessary amount of fresh air' to replace themoist air exhaustf ed from the machinaand Vgathers the heated air whichis radiated-by the innerlining, thuskeeping the outer casing cool. Abulkhead O divides the suction side from. the pressure side of themachine. 'The machine is driven by conesl) in conjunction with Va doubleset of fast andjloose pulleys Q to enable the speed to be varied asdesired. Slidingshutters R and doors S are providedtodivert thedischarge of the y the machine whennecessary. E The machine is made invarious proportions and sizes so as to be adapted to any requirement.Myimproved machinehas the following 'particular advantages z-simplestmechanical arrangements, minimum cost of construction, minimum floorspace, minimum longitudinally traversing the material in forward andreturn directions through said chamber, an airpressure inlet ductextending from` end to end of said chamber, an air-suction outlet ductextending from end to end along the opposite side of said chamber, twofiat sets of steam or Vother coils interposed between said chamber'andsaid suction and pressure chiots respectively, a fan adapted to create aclosed continuous circulation of air passing 'between said coils andthrough both lines of material in said chamber, and means for continuousextraction of moisture from the closed circulation of air within saidchamber, substantially as herein set forth. l

` 2, Apparatus as claimed in claim l, and havingV between each adjacentpair Vof tubes forming the coils a baffle plate whereby ,the circulatingair is directed through the drying chamber and 'whereby acertainpressure is held back inthe Vair inlet yduct so as to equalizethecross-current of air'throughout the entire length of the chamber,substantially as herein set forth Y VCHARLES STEPHENS.

